Because I'm not popular, I'll host a sleepover
by TheStormstrike
Summary: The gang agrees to have a sleepover at Tomoko's place. Features Tomoko, Yuri, Mako, Nemo and Yoshida. Takes place shortly after the Mouseland field trip.
1. BINP: I'll invite people over

Tomoko Kuroki

Nearing the end of our last year in high school, Mako had invited Yuri and me to her house for a sleepover. I didn't know what to make of it at first, I had never slept at another person's home. I knew Yuri and Mako had done so many times and as I had become one of their closer friends lately, Mako probably felt bad about not inviting me also. I didn't want to go at first. I didn't like the idea of sleeping somewhere unfamiliar and besides, Mako was a crazy lesbian. The sleepover was probably just a guise for molesting Yuri and me.

Well, I changed my mind shortly after. I had been watching this new anime lately and one of the recent episodes just happened to feature the heroes going out camping in the mountains. Sitting close around the fire, each individual character would share a personal story and there was a lot of juicy ship tease between the two male leads. I figured that maybe a sleepover would provide me with an opportunity to get to know more about Yuri and Mako's sexual endeavours and hopefully put us in a setting where I could talk freely about sex and stuff without getting judged _too hard_.

The day before the sleepover, Mako confided in us that she wouldn't be able to host the event. Her parents had been going through some marriage problems for some time and the entire household was a ticking bomb waiting to go off. She really just needed to get out of there. As Yuri only responded with her indecisive silence, I stepped in.

"We can have the sleepover at my place," I said, looking into the floor, "if y-you want to, of course."

Mako smiled relieved. Yuri just looked at me.

"Only if it's okay with you, Kuroki-san. I didn't mean to guilt you into doing anything you don't want to," Mako responded.

I shook my head. "No, i-it's fine. I want to."

I honestly didn't want to. The idea of having people in my home who wasn't my family freaked me out. What if they talked to my parents? What would they say when they saw the yaoi posters on my walls? Would I have to clean up my room? But this was my only shot at getting to learn these sluts' dirty secrets.

I was interrupted in my stream of very valid concerns when the door to our classroom was slammed hard, starling me. It was the delinquent angrily marching towards her seat in the right side of the room. She made a huge act of pulling out her chair from beneath the desk and sitting down backwards on the seat like an edgy, rebellious anime character.

"What's with Masaki-san?" Mako whispered with a hint of worry in her delicate, lesbian voice.

Yuri shrugged. I didn't know what was going on either. I hadn't seen her this outraged since the last time I accidently got to second base with her nipples. Like she was going to kill someone.

The three of us eventually made our way to the delinquent's desk. She was seething with anger, drawing crude lines all over her notebook and tearing the pencil's sharp point into the paper like the pencil was a knife. She either hadn't noticed us standing beside her or maybe she just didn't care.

Yuri gave me a look, signaling _me_ to say something. I shot a glare back. Why didn't _she_ say something? She was the one who always calmed her down when I made her upset. The worst thing that could happen was the delinquent pulling out a gun or a knife or something.

In the end, neither of us had to risk anything.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it," Yoshida said while keeping to her crude lines. "My friends and I, we're just… kinda having a falling out, you know."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mako replied genuinely.

"Nah, don't be. They're lying bitches anyway!" Yoshida let out a small laugh and turned towards us.

None of us said anything for a few moments. Seeing this as a cue for the conversation being over, I politely bowed and started to walk back towards my desk. Yuri followed indiscievely.

Mako grabbed our shoulders, causing me to jump in surprise.

"Girls, come on…" Mako said in a low voice, "don't you think we should invite Makasi-san to the sleepover?"

Yuri raised her eyebrow at her friend. "Why? She is fine."

"She is not. She is obviously very hurt."

Yuri looked over Mako's shoulder. Then she shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."

I didn't like where this was going. If the delinquent attended our sleepover, it would mean she learned where I lived. She would learn where my family lived. If I ever did something to wrong her, who was to say she wouldn't come to my home late at night and do terrible stuff to them? Maybe even hide her drugs? Sure, the delinquent had so far only been violent to me when I deserved it but who was to say she wasn't part of a gang or something? Next thing I knew, the Yakuza could be knocking on my door.

By the time I was done exploring the fantasy of myself as a crime lord, I found Mako and Yuri sitting around Yoshida's desk. They were talking about something and I walked closer.

"Heh, yeah, sure. I guess that would be cool," the delinquent said rebelliously.

"You should probably ask Kuroki-san first. It's her place after all."

Oh shit.

"What do you say, Tomoko? Can I come over tomorrow evening?"

Yoshida looked me directly in the eyes. There was something unfamiliar in the delinquent's voice. It sounded like genuine friendliness but I wasn't sure if that could be true. Hell, she actually smiled at me, reminding me of the time in the amusement park when she had jumped me and Yuri after we left that Kowarith attraction.

"Uh-huh, s-sure," I mumbled quietly while fumbling with the trim of my skirt.

"Awesome!" the delinquent beamed. She was one big smile. "I'll bring some movies and some games over! Ooh, and chips and dip as well!"

That didn't sound so bad and I was actually glad that I had offered to host the sleepover. Watching movies would be fine and as long as I didn't accidentally grope her, Yoshida would be peaceful.

Not long after, our teacher walked into the classroom and we returned to our seats. I sat in class thinking about what I had just agreed to. Three girls would come to my home and we would watch movies. The idea made me anxious but I told myself that it was part of being a highschool girl. According to what I had read on the internet, having sleepovers in skimpy underwear was as natural to highschool girls as breathing and eating. Besides, it wouldn't be much different from our field trip to Kyōto.

It dawned to me that I hadn't even asked my parents if it was okay. Maybe they had other plans for our family that friday night? We usually just stuck to ourselves in my home but maybe that exact night we would have to go out and do something? I hoped not.

Feeling a light punch on my right shoulder, I turned to see it was Nemo smiling at me. I didn't say anything, waiting for her to state what she wanted.

"You think you can host a sleepover without inviting me, Kuro? I'm hurt!" she said despite the smile.

"I have a life outside you, you know."

The pink-haired girl's smile only grew wider. "I wasn't too sure about that. Are you going to invite me over or not?"

I pondered the idea. Four people were already a lot! But five?! I didn't even know if that many girls could fit into my bedroom. On the other hand, if anyone had any sexual experience, it was probably Nemo. I was sure Mako did too but I was only interested in stories about dicks, none of that femslash-shit. I knew Nemo had guy friends and she had probably fucked both of them lots of times. I really wanted to hear more about that. Furthermore, the more girls in skimpy underwear the better. And, in the end, Nemo was sort of my friend.

"Yeah, sure, you can come."

"Really?!"

"Yes, just try not to get too nasty. I have a little brother."

Nemo sent me a confused smile but we were swiftly interrupted when Yuri turned around in her chair. She did not look happy. I remembered that she too, like me, was a loner and probably didn't appreciate me inviting all sorts of people without talking to her and Mako first. Well, it was my house. I shrugged at Yuri like I didn't know.


	2. BINP: I'll welcome my guests

Tomoko Kuroki

The following day at noon, I found myself anxiously waiting for my guests. I didn't know what freaked me out the most: the idea of them not showing up or them actually being at my house. I had never had any friends over, except for Yū and Komi-something, and suddenly four girls would be here! Sleep here!

The same day as we had agreed that the sleepover would be hosted at my place, I had rushed home to take care of everything. I had called my mom and asked if it was ok and she had been strangely upbeat about the news. She had even offered to help me clean my room, order pizzas and rent movies. What did I know? Maybe mom was just really into sleepovers.

I had vacuumed my carpet while mom dusted off my furniture. It had been a long process but in the end my room sparkled like I didn't think it was possible. I had removed one of my posters, the one with the semi-naked anime guys, because I didn't want to make my guests to feel too uncomfortable. I had outgrown that show anyway.

I took a deep breath. I got this, I told myself. This was my home turf. I might be weird and awkward in school but this was _my_ realm. I was the master here!

The sudden knock on the door made me jump and I almost puked. The nervousness crippled me but I managed to stand up from the chair in the kitchen and slowly made my way towards the hall. When I was almost at the door, the person knocked again and I almost fell over.

 _These people are my friends!_ I yelled internally. I needed to pull myself together. Just open the door.

I had almost mustered the courage to take the next step when mom suddenly showed up, stepped in front of me and opened the door.

"Pizza's here!"

 _?!_

The pizzas… Mom paid the pizza delivery guy and thanked him before she carried the pizzas into the kitchen.

She smiled at me and put the pizzas on the kitchen counter. I just stood in the hall, stunned, too shocked to even move. It had been a false alarm. But when my friends came over, it should be me who welcomed them and not my mom. Even if the thought scared me.

I stepped into the kitchen while catching my breath. The two pizzas smelled deliciously and a light steam rose from each of them. Mom was cutting through them with a pizza wheel and I stepped closer.

"May I?" I asked.

Mom gave me a funny look but smiled before handing me the wheel. "Sure you may."

I carefully sliced through the flatbread, tomato sauce, cheese, mushrooms and the beef and made sure the slices were of equal proportions. I noticed mom was observing me.

"I'm so glad you're having friends over, Tomoko. I really think this is a good idea."

"Thanks, mom."

"I mean it. This could be very good for you."

"Yeah."

...

When I was done slicing both pizzas, I turned to my mother.

"M-mom, when my friends get here, may I please open the door?"

"Sorry?"

"When they come over, may I welcome them? - I can take care of it."

"Ah, of course, Tomoko," mom smiled as she tussled my hair. "They're your guests after all."

I smiled weakly, not really sure how to proceed. Seeing mom like this, so happy with her daughter, was really unfamiliar to me. I realized I had probably not made it easy for her being a mother. That was going to change tonight.

Mom told me she would be in the living room, reading, and return to her and dad's bedroom once all the girls were here. We could either eat the pizza in the kitchen or in my room, and come to her if there was an issue.

I sat down by the dinner table. If I was one of those food obsessed girls from those animes, I might have eaten both pizzas right then and there.

A dark thought suddenly clouded my mind. What if my guests didn't show up? What if they had never intended to come? What if it was all just an elaborate ruse to make me look foolish? Then mom would have wasted money on those pizzas. That'd make her so unhappy.

...

No. Yuri and Mako would never do that. Nemo, I didn't know, and Yoshida was more up-in-your-face kind of mean. But what if Yuri and Mako had simply forgot about it? Maybe they had so many sleepovers they sometimes forgot about them? Maybe I really had misinterpreted our friendship. Maybe we weren't as close friends as I thought we were.

An intense buzzing from my phone ripped my out of my stream of thought and I vaguely recalled it meaning I was getting a call. A call! I put the cell phone to my ear.

"Uh, hello?"

"Kuro!"

"Oh, hi Nemoto-san." _How did she know my number?!_

"I call because I realized I have no idea where you live!"

Her voice was as enthusiastic as ever.

"... S-so you're still coming?"

"Yes, silly! Why, did you think I had forgotten about you? Or that I'd beg to be invited just so I could bail on you?"

…

"No."

I told her my address. Nemo promised to hurry and when I told her the pizzas were getting cold, she made a frustrated chuuni-sound and hang up.

Shortly after, someone knocked loudly on the door. I couldn't believe Nemo was that fast. With a lot more courage this time, partly from the mild anger which Nemo's damned intuition had stirred in me, I went to the hall, took a deep breath and opened the door.

My courage was immediately vaporized when the person appeared in the door frame. Standing tall was Yoshida, wearing a casual yellow hoodie and an old military backpack over the shoulder. She looked bored but smiled when I opened the door.

"Hey Kuroki."

"Masaki-san."

She shifted on her feet.

"Can I come in?"

I obeyed and nervously stepped to the side so that my first guest could enter. I was reminded that I had never actually been alone with Yoshida and if she desired to strangle me right here, there would be no one to stop her.

Well, except…

"Hello there," Mom said as Yoshida stepped into the kitchen. "You must be one of Tomoko's friends."

"Yup." Yoshida replied with an informal nod. "We were in the same group on the Kyōto field trip."

They exchanged some small conversation for a short time, and that should have made me anxious, but I was too amazed by the fact that Yoshida had confirmed our friendship. I felt like I needed to reward her or something.

"P-please, have a s-slice of pizza," I said and waved one of the pizza slices in front of Yoshida.

"We should wait for the others, you idiot."

"Oh- oh. Uhm. Yes."

… _Shit._

Yoshida must also had picked up on the fact that we practically had nothing in common and were only friends through mere coincidence. Unlike me though, she didn't seem to be bothered by just standing in my kitchen in utter silence until the others arrived. Without school looming over our heads, it seemed like there was no obvious topics to talk about.

I thought about asking if she had brought drugs and alcohol to my home, as a joke, but that would probably just result in me being punched. I also didn't want to risk the chance of Mom hearing. I instead picked up the next best thing which came to my mind.

"So, uhm, are you and your friends ok?"

"Not really."

"Oh."

I thought that was that but then Yoshida continued.

"I got angry over some things they said and we got into a fight. It had been a sort of long-coming thing. I guess I just didn't see that until now."

Not really sure what else to say, I just nodded. Yoshida seemed satisfied with my silence.

"Shit, when do the others get here? I'm fucking hungry."

Hoping Mom didn't hear that, I looked down at my phone. 6:33.

"They should be here any-"

Like the miracle woman of prediction I was, another person knocked on the door, this time lighter. Surely not delinquent hands who were used to knocking people down for real.

I was at the door in an instant this time and didn't hesitate to open.

"Hello," I said to the newcomers.

"Kuroki-san!" Mako exclaimed.

Mako hugged me, which was rather unexpected, though not too unexpected from a lesbo like her.

Yuri stood in the doorframe, hands in her pockets and head buds in her ears. She was looking at me, smiling, like she was actually happy to see me. I smiled back.


	3. BINP: People will show up uninveted

Tomoko Kuroki

Yuri stood in the doorway as if she waited to be welcomed in and I stepped aside to allow her passage. _Was she this formal even outside of school?_ She went inside, unlaced her shoes and removed them from her feet. I observed her nimble fingers working over the shoe laces. In silence, she stood up and looked at me as if she was expecting me to say something.

I thought of saying something funny but I couldn't think of anything so I just shifted nervously on my feet. When we were at school, at least we had homework and assignments to talk about.

"It's good to see you."

Yuri looked up. "Huh?"

"I-I said that, uh, it's good that you and Mako are here now," I stammered, "t-the food was getting cold."

Yuri narrowed her brow. "We're not _that_ late."

 _Did she think I was berating her!?_ "We… we should go inside with the others."

Yuri nodded but said nothing. I figured she was still upset about me inviting Nemo without talking to her first.

Mako and Yoshida were chatting casually by the dinner table. The delinquent seemed very excited about the movies she had brought but lit up even further when Yuri and I entered. She called us over.

"I remembered how much you two **loved** Kowarith, so I brought both movies; Kowarith I and II!" Yoshida said excitedly, not noticing the cold air between Yuri and I.

Yuri said something about it being a good idea though I couldn't tell from her voice if she was being sincere, and I hated it. I realized that every single movie Yoshida had brought was a Disney film and I cursed the fact internally. There would be no nude scenes tonight. Was some light erotica really that much to ask for?

There was a knocking on the door and I stood up from the conversation. "That _must_ be Nemo."

Yuri shrugged indifferently. I decided to ignore it.

When I opened the door, I was met with a familiar face. Or rather lack there off. Emoji, or whatever her name was, from my school was standing in the doorway, her clothes torn apart and tears running down her cheeks.

"Woah! Have you been raped?!"

Emoji looked at me through tears, sniffling. "W-what? No, you idiot!... I was in the area, on my way somewhere, when I accidently fell into a gravel pit and hurt my leg… It really hurts!"

I stared at her, not believing my ears. _**A gravel pit?!**_ "Uh…"

"Can I come in? Please?" Emoji begged.

Heck, if she had fallen into a pit, the least I could do was try and help her. I didn't know if I should let her in though or get my mom to drive her to the hospital. "Mom?!" I called.

The girl cried even louder the moment my mom was at the door. Mom, equally as shocked, tried to calm Emoji down as she brought inside and helped her into a chair. Not long after, all my other guests were in the hall as well.

"Ucchi-san! - what happened to you!?" Mako wanted to know as soon as she entered.

Emoji retold the story of how she had been walking through the neighborhood when she had suddenly slipped over something and fallen into a gravel pit, twisting her ankle in the fall and knocking herself unconscious for who knows how long. She had lost her phone but miraculously found the strength to drag herself to my home as she by sheer luck and fortune had remembered my home address.

"That's so terrible!" Mom said. "That must have been a long way to go with a twisted ankle. We don't have any gravel pits anywhere near this neighborhood."

Emoji nodded vigorously through her crying. "Yes! Very terrible indeed!"

Yuri and Yoshida stood wordlessly, staring at the crying girl while Mako kneeled at the floor inspecting Emoji's leg. Her socks were torn to pieces with large holes in them while all her clothes were covered in dust and dirt. She had bruises everywhere.

"Despite what happened," Mako said with some optimism in her voice, "I think you got pretty lucky. You don't seem to have taken a scratch."

"Try looking again. I'm _sure_ there must be a scratch somewhere! I think I need to stay here until I'm feeling better."

Mako stared at her for a split second until she began to reinspect the twisted leg. I really didn't know what to do with myself, but when I noticed two pink twintails appearing in my front yard, I quickly shifted to greeting Nemo in the doorway. It was actually her this time.

"Woah, what the heck is going on here?" Nemo asked. She was already in her pajamas for some reason. A full-body kigurumi lion pajamas with outlandish pink fur, a purple mane and two massive plushy horns. If it was from one of those chuuni animes she liked so much, I didn't recognize it.

"She fell into a pit," I mumbled and gave a brief retelling of the story. Nemo didn't seem to react at all. When I was done, all she did was making an uninterested ' _hmm'_ -sound.

"Does she need to go to the hospital?" I asked.

"No, no, no - I'm sure my leg will heal very soon."

"Your leg is fine, Ucchi, I think it's just your ankle that got twisted," Mako assured her as she got done inspecting the leg for the second time.

" _ **Hmph!**_ " Emoji groaned as she crossed her arms. I didn't get it. _Was she angry?!_

Mom took out her phone and started dialing a number. "I'll call your parents and they'll come and pick you up. What's your home number, sweetie?"

"Don't! Like I said, my leg will heal eventually! Then I'll be on my way! Do you not want me to stay that badly?!"

No one in the hall said anything. Mom looked sternly at me. I gulped. "Uhm, I… d-do you w-want to stay here until your leg is feeling better?"

Emoji looked at me directly in the eyes (I think, it's hard to tell with that girl) and nodded. "I-if it's not too much to ask, Tomoko-san." _Was she blushing?!_

Mom greeted the new guests and helped us reheat the pizzas which had turned cold by now, before returning to her and Dad's room. Left alone with these five girls, I felt slightly anxious but it gradually faded away as we sat down to eat the pizzas.

Emoji insisted on sitting next to me, claiming that that specific chair was the one most merciful to her damaged body, while Yuri took the chair to my other side, although she had been sitting somewhere else before. This forced Nemo to take the seat at the other end of the table.

"It's ok," Nemo said and smiled at me, though I wasn't really sure what she meant by that.

Yuri was picking at her food, the only one of us choosing to eat with a fork and knife. The rest of us ate with our hands. I had an urge to lick my fingers but didn't want to gross out my guests. I could try and then follow it up with a mastubation joke or something but I wasn't too sure how well it would land.

I had been slightly afraid that I would sit in silence and not know what to say to my guests but as it turned out, they, as usually, led the conversation. Sort of like in school. I could sit nice and quietly by the end of the table and simply enjoy their company.

A while later, when we had finished eating, I took them to my room. It was weird to think about having these five girls be the first to enter my most private space other than Yue and Komi-something. But it didn't feel so bad as I thought it would. They were all my friends, sort of, and Emoji was just resting for a bit.

Nemo walked around like she was in an amusement park. "Your room is nothing like I imagined it, Kuro. I thought you'd have a lot more anime posters hanging and a lot more garbage lying on the floor."

"Are you calling me a slob?"

"Not at all," she smiled, looking around my room. "Did you mom help clean your room?"

"Shut up, Nemoto-san."

Mako put her sleeping bag down and turned towards the rest of us. "Oh, well, should we change into our pajamases now?"

I stared at her. Was she really suggesting all of us should strip naked right in front of her? Couldn't she at least try to be more subtle about her outrageous sexual urges?

I was about to comply when Yosida grabbed her bag and went to the door. "I'm going to change first," she said and headed towards the bathroom.

I couldn't help but to feel a little disappointed. By the time all of us were in our nightwear, I hadn't managed to catch a glimpse of anything lewd. Emoji borrowed a shirt from me which left her in complete silence.

Kowarith was put on my television. Yoshida was lying on her stomach up front, watching the movie intensely, while chatting with a heartening Mako who did her best to show interest.

"W-what do you and Mako usually do when you're… uh, when you're having a-a sleepover?" I asked Yuri in a whisper.

Yuri turned towards me. "We usually just talk." She shrugged. I wanted more and raised my eyebrows at her.

"Gossip," Yuri sighed lightly.

I nodded. "Oh. Uh." What did I have to gossip about? The only thing I knew anything about was anime and manga and I knew none of that was interesting to anyone here, maybe besides Nemo. "Like… about what?"

Yuri looked around to see if anyone was listening to us. "Like… who is being a bitch in class and stuff like that."

"Oh!"

"You know, people like..."

Nemo, who had been sitting next to me, leaned down, putting her head in my lap like a purple dog. "Like me?" she smiled.

Yuri shut up like a clam, pulled back and stared straight at the TV. She huffed. "Not everything's about you."

I felt like I was caught in a cross-fire. Were they going to fight? Should I be scared?

"Well, what were you talking about then?" Nemo asked.

As Yuri said nothing, I decided to explain. "Well, we were just talking about what people usually do when they're having a sleepover."

"What? Have you never been to a slumber party, Kuro?"

A shiver ran down my back. Did she really want me to admit how big a friendless loser I was? Wasn't that obvious? Nemo's smile faded from her face in a short moment but then sat up and patted me on the back. "Well, I have. I'll tell you everything you need to know."

Both Yuri and I looked at her suspiciously.

"We usually do each other's hair, you know, girly stuff like that: giving each other makeovers. That kind of stuff. That's how I got my pink hair, by the way! Oh, and we also play spin the bottle - it's usually the most fun when there are also guys involved. You know, 'kiss his cheek', 'kiss her cheek'."

"I think we should play that game," Ucchi said. I had completely forgotten she was there until she said that.

"You mean to tell me that you, Akande-san and Asuka-san never gossip?" Yuri asked dryly.

Nemo smiled at her. "Oh, we do. However, we usually talk about crushes - not _who's_ 'being a bitch'."

Yuri skeptically narrowed her eyes at her. I was also suspicious. "Crushes?"

"You know, who likes who."

Like boys and stuff? I felt like I was at the gates of a totally different world. All talks about guys I had never had had been with Yue or with myself inside my head and the occasional talk with Komi-something of whom I suspected would attempt to rape my little brother before the end of the year.

It was settled then. One way or another, tonight would be the night I learned about the secret of dicks.


	4. BINP: I'll humiliate myself

Tomoko Kuroki

"Ok, so whoever the bottle lands on either has to do a truth or a dare."

A game of chance. I liked it. Sort of like Russian roulette only made for soft, casual normies who couldn't handle the real deal. Seemed only fitting for a sleepover. This game would be a piece of cake for me and even gave me the chance to learn all my friends' dirty secrets. Besides, there was no way the bottle would actually land on me.

"Oh, look, Kuroki-san, you go first," Mako said cheerfully.

… And the universe just keeps giving me shit!

I felt like a deer caught in the headlights of a truck. The bottle's tip pointed straight at me like the end of a gun. What the hell was I going to do? I needed to pick something. Truth? Admit I was a disgusting virgin? Or dare? Do something silly that would tarnish my reputation forever?

Well, at least the truth option wouldn't require me to get out from underneath my warm duvet cover. The lesser of two evils, I guessed.

"Truth."

"Alright," Mako said, thinking of something interesting to ask me. Please, please, please don't dig into my perverted fantasies and I will love you forever, you crazy lesbian slut.

"Uh, ok, have you ever had a boyfriend, Kuroki-san?"

I was speechless. What kind of betrayal was this?! I had invited Mako to my home, fed her pizza and then she pulled of something like this?! Humiliating me in my own house?! Wasn't there some kind of sacred high school girl-code that prevented girls from doing this to each other?!

"I-... I-... I-..."

My guests looked at me, both amused and concerned. Emoji stared at me intensely, her breath heavy like a wildebeest's in heat. What was up with her? I was the one put on the spot!

Think! Think! Think!

"I-... Uh. Uhm… yes!"

That really seemed to surprise all my guests. "Seriously?" Yoshida asked skeptically.

"... Sure!" I said and tried to laugh it off. "No biggie, haha, but we broke up months ago."

Yuri was staring at me, eyebrow raised. Nemo just smiled. An unfamiliar shadow had fallen over Emoji's face.

"You know you have to answer the questions truthfully, right? Otherwise it defeats the purpose of the game," Yoshida explained.

"You don't think I could get a boyfriend!?" I shouted angrily. As Yoshida didn't immediately respond with an enthusiastic 'yes!', I turned towards the rest of my guests. "None of you do?!"

"We didn't say that, Kuroki-san, p-please calm down," Mako said gently while holding her hands up to defuse my sudden outburst.

I was instantly engulfed in a wave of insecurity. There was no way I could actually keep up the lie of having had a boyfriend. If only I could summon Tomoki in here so he could pretend to be my boyfriend - he could even grope me for a while if it meant I could save face! But I was on my own, I needed to backpedal quickly and I needed to do it gracefully.

"U-uhm, well, I guess that, u-uh… we weren't really… you know, uh, in an _actual_ relationship, as per say. Y-you know, w-we never, like, said 'oh, hey, wanna be my boyfriend?', t-that being _me_ saying that to _him_. Why would he ask me to be his boyfriend? I'm n-not a boy.. ahaha.. I don't have a dick. I can prove it!.. ahaha."

Dead silence. If I thought my guests were staring at me before, their eyes were practically rolling out of their sockets now. _WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST SAY?!_

Emoji stood up. Was she trembling?

"Where're you going, Ucchi-san?" Mako asked

"I-I need to... get some water," she responded and left through the door in a sprint. So much for a twisted ankle.

I breathed heavily. This game was too hard on a simple virgin like me. If I didn't play my cards right, I'd be dead with shame within an hour and my reputation, albeit never great to begin with, sullied forever. In all honesty, if I could have blown my own brains out to prevent this game from ever continuing, I'd have done it.

"Yo, Kuroki, it's your turn to spin the bottle," Yoshida said.

I faked a yawn. "D-don't you, uh, think it's pretty late? Isn't it time for bed?"

"It's not even 8 p.m."

Well, fuck all of you. Mako and Yoshida in particular. When Emoji returned, I spun the bottle with as much hate as I could muster and prayed for it to land on either of them. Then they should feel my revenge on them for embarrassing me. ' _Touch each other using only your crotches!_ '

The bottle landed on Yuri.

 _You've got to be kidding me!_

"Truth," she simply muttered.

What the heck was I going to ask _**her**_?! I couldn't ask Yuri anything that would make her upset. I was already walking on thin ice with her and if she felt threatened by my question, it could be very well be the last straw. I couldn't ask her anything boring either, like what her favorite food was, or it would be too obvious I was going soft on her. Meanwhile, she was sitting there next to me, looking like she didn't even care if we were playing or not. Her nightwear was a blue-greyish sweatsuit with the word 'EARTH' printed over her butt. How did she manage to keep it so cool when I had been a shivering wreck just a moment ago?

"Alright, slowpoke, you need to ask her something," the delinquent pressed.

"If you were a guy, whom of us would you want to fuck the most?" the words came pouring out of my mouth.

"The fuck?!" Yoshida shouted. I agreed. Why the fuck was that the first thing that came to my mind?!

Yuri stared at me wide-eyed, same as Mako. I couldn't tell how Ucchi was reacting but a small trail of blood was leaking from her one nostril like she was a goddamn anime character.

Was this how I would die?

However, one girl was laughing hysterically.

"Girls! Girls, she is kidding!" Nemo laughed with a huge grin on her face. Everyone's attention turned towards her. I was kidding? "Obviously Kuro was just trying to be funny, even if she failed - but come on, girls, I thought it was pretty humorous, catching us all off-guard like that!"

What…?

Mako seemed to reconsider my apparently "fake" question and let out a small but genuine laughter in the end. Yoshida even rolled her eyes, shook her head and smiled a bit.

Nemo turned towards me. She smiled innocently. "Now ask your actual question, Kuro."

What the _**heck**_ just happened?

I turned to look at Yuri again. Was this like having an extra life in a video game? "Uh, have you ever had a boyfriend?"

"No."

"Ok," I simply nodded. Pretty brave to admit such a thing. Apparently the rest of the group didn't seem to think anything less of her for her foolish honesty, adding only to my frustration.

As the game went on, I learned that all my guests were singles at the moment and only Mako and Emoji had had boyfriends previously. Nemo was the sole player not picking truth and was instead dared to both prank call random people, do a cartwheel outside and draw mazes in two minutes that took one minute to solve.

I used to think only normie scum would play spin the bottle - somehow always before a psycho killer would end up murdering them all with a chainsaw. But sharing some intimate knowledge with somebody who wasn't a stray cat was actually very nice for a change.

As the game went on, we paid less and less attention to the game and more attention to the talk the game had started. All my guests were gradually talking more and more about boys, even Yoshida. All except Yuri and me, who were sitting in complete silence on my carpet with my duvet cover wrapped around the both of us. Personally, I loved it. Hearing all these things kind of made me feel like I was a part of something. _There was just one problem… -_

"I heard a rumor that Suzuki-san might like you, Mako."

"You did?" Mako cheeks turned slightly red. "I heard Yoshinori-san has a crush you too."

Nemo laughed. "Everyone knows that! Akande-san would kill me if I did anything though!"

More laughter.

"Ooh, but what about Hisahito-san?"

"No way, he's with Kahoru-san."

"Really? I thought she was dating Eiji-san."

"Not anymore!"

 _\- … LITERARILY WHO WERE ALL THESE PEOPLE?!_ I looked to Yuri who was staring blankly into the room. Was she as confused as I was? I bumped my shoulder into hers and she looked at me. She must have sensed my confusion and replied with a shrug.

Yuri returned to her staring. I followed her eyes and it became apparent to me, that she was actually not looking at the door but at Mako and Nemo who were talking about their normie-stuff. Yuri had a frown on her face and while it was almost invisible, I recognized the irritation in her eyes.

It was probably difficult for a loner like Yuri to know to what having another person like you must feel like. I should say something that could bring her into the conversation. But what conversation topic should I bring up?! I couldn't start talking about dicks again or they'd think I was a huge pervert. But if I kept sitting quietly, they'd start to wonder why I was even here!

"What about you Kuroki-san?"

"Eh?!" I had not been paying attention.

Mako smiled at me. Yoshida sighed. "You're not listening to a word we're saying, are you?"

"Sure I was!" My eyes darted around between my guests, trying to read the mood of the conversation. It was pointless. I looked to Yuri for help. She ignored me. Such treachery!

"We just asked you if there are any boys you like."

Ah?! This again?! Did I seriously wake up in a cross examination?! Wasn't that only supposed to happen to murderers and pedos in crime romcoms?! I gasped for air. What did they want me to say?! I had to come up with something quickly!

In fact, I needed to give a casual and mature answer. Something that didn't sound like I was hiding anything. Something that sounded like what a mature adult would say. 'I'm not sure if there are any boys I like currently.' That'd be perfect! It wouldn't sound like I was denying anything! Just say that!

I leaned back, crossed my arms and proudly exclaimed: "I'm currently not sure if I like boys!"

"Oh. Um. That's ok, I guess?."

No, wait! Fuck! My eyes opened wide with panic. "I mean, uh, I like boys! It's only that, I don't know any boys whom I like _right now!_ Eeeh?! M-maybe the boys I know - maybe if I knew them a bit better, I-I would like them more. R-right? Haha!"

"Uh…"

"I-I…- I…- I like penis! I'm not into _girls!_ "

I felt Yuri's hand close around my mouth and I was silenced. I thought she was going to strangle me and I fought to free myself but when I realized what she was doing, I thanked whatever divine force had brought Yuri to me.

This was the second time in less than an hour I had reached 'Kuroki-level'. I seriously needed to calm down. It was just so difficult after the girls' talk had got me so excited.

Oh well, I was sure the worst of the night was behind me now. Things could really only go up from here.

"Maybe we should take a break?" Nemo suggested and smiled worriedly at me. I was trembling with Yuri's hand finally free from my mouth. Yuri, Yoshida and Mako agreed and began stand up to stretch their legs. Emoji sat quietly and expressionlessly at my carpet like she had fallen asleep with her eyes open.

I straightened up and cleared my throat. "Uh, h-how is your leg going?"

She turned her head, almost like an owl, and looked me straight in the eyes. I couldn't read her face and it was impossible to know what she was thinking. Then she spoke in a soft, neutral voice. "Did you mean that? The thing you said before?"

I had said so many dumb things that evening that I didn't know which exact thing she was referring to.

Emoji leaned closer. "Did you? That you are not interested in boys?" I felt my cheeks starting to burn. "Is that why you stared at me all night back on our last night in Kyōto? Why you watched me in the shower? And why you hid my panties under your blanket?"

I felt like everyone was staring at me again. I had completely forgotten about all the things Emoji brought up. I had done so many worse things in my life that these minor instances of sexual harassment barely stuck to my mind.

"I-I can explain." For once, I actually needed to give a proper explanation. I didn't want my friends to think I was a weirdo and definitely not a lesbian stalker - by the way, could I get arrested for this?! I had to come up with a very clever answer, one that was so mind bogglingly complex it had to be true.

I breathed in. "I was drunk."

"... Drunk?"

Dead silence. I cleared my throat.

"Yes. I had been drinking earlier in Kyōto on a small place called the Yellowflag Bar. It was an old bar and it had been destroyed like fifteen times. Well, fifteen's my lucky number so of course I went to see it. It was an old, rowdy place... you know what I'm talking about: suspicious types here and there… thugs. The bar even had a built-in bullet proof steel plating, almost like a tank. To be honest, the whole place was sort of like a museum. Well, I went in there just to see the place and a stranger offered me a beer… I knew I shouldn't but… well, you know me; I was too nervous to refuse. Luckily, I managed to make my way back to the hotel before anything bad happened."

The girls stared at me. I had no idea if they believed me or not.

Yoshida narrowed her brow. "What a pile of horse shit. You're not old enough to get into bars, you moron. They'd kick you out."

"16 year old girls can get in anywhere in Kyōto if they know where to go. Honestly, it's pretty disgusting."

Mako looked very upset. "Wow, Kuroki-san… Y-you never told us about that."

"It was pretty scary," I lied.

I felt Yuri put her arm around me while Mako came over to hug me. I felt bad about lying and decided I needed to tell at least Yuri the truth later.

We sat in silence for a moment.

Emoji still seemed dissatisfied for some reason. "So you're not in love with me?"

"No way! I-In fact, before tonight, I wasn't even sure what your name was," I giggled nervously.

My guests laughed - apparently thinking I was joking again. I must admit I could be pretty funny when I actually wanted to be. However, Emoji stood up from the carpet and brushed off her clothes. "My leg is healed now." And with that, she turned around and exited through the door.

Well, that was weird. We sat and stared after her. Mako was about to follow but Yuri touched her arm. "Let her go."

I just hoped I would get my shirt back on monday.

...

"Hina's right though," Yoshida said. "A break would be good. I need some fresh air."

The delinquent left, probably to snort coke off the bathroom sink or something, while Yuri and Mako went who knows where. I was left in my room with Nemo, thinking about the lie I had just told everyone. I felt bad about lying. A year ago, I had been an angsty jerk who only looked out for myself and would have had no problem with deceiving the more simple-minded. Recently though, these girls had become my friends and breaking their trust made me feel horrible with myself.

Nemo was kind of just walking around my room, leaving me to my own thoughts. She looked at my anime posters, probably jealous of how I wasn't afraid to reveal to my inner otaku to my friends. Being in my room probably made her feel free, like she could finally be herself. She picked of something from my bookcase and presented it to me. "You know what this is… right?"

I looked closer. "Yeah, it's my hand-held personal back massager."

The pink-haired girl stared at me, then shook her head and decided to put the tool into the drawer in my nightstand where no one could see it. She then went and put her arm around my shoulder. She gave me a smile that actually felt genuine and caused me to blush lightly. "I'm really glad to have you as my friend, Kuro. You know that?"

After primarily having taken shit the for entire evening - gradually growing more and more pissed off - the sudden praise totally caught me off guard. "T-thanks."

"So Yellowflag Bar, huh?" Nemo asked from under the purple lion's head.

I nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Mmm, I see. You know you're not the only one who's watched _Black Lagoon_ , right? At least change the name."

I swallowed hard. _Oh, fuck._


	5. BINP: I'll defend my brother's virtue

Tomoko Kuroki

"Please, please, please, please," I begged at Nemo's feet. "You can't tell them!"

Nemo smiled sweetly although I had no idea what she was really thinking. Did she just like to watch me squirm? Was this some kind of sick fetish she had?

The Yellowflag Bar from _Black Lagoon_ was the first thing that had come to my mind. I had watched the anime recently and so it's plotline became the natural choice for a lie as to why I was drunk in Kyōto. I could probably do an expression of most of the cast just from memory alone.

"I'll keep your secret," Nemo said and made me stand up. "I just want you to stop being so stupid all the time. Besides, what would I tell them anyway? Say you lied by admitting I watch anime myself? No thanks, Kuro, I'll let _you_ be the dick-obsessed otaku girl."

She smiled provocatively at me. I knew it was bait. I knew she just wanted me to take it and embarrass myself in front of her. But something about what she said made me think.

"Why don't you just tell them though? And your other friends as well? It's not like coming out of the closet or anything. It's just cartoons."

"Because it's not really any of their business what I'm doing in my free time."

She was avoiding the question but I didn't really care enough about whether or not Nemo was being true to herself to take it any further. Maybe Nemo and I could have been best friends since day one in high school if she didn't have all those insecurities about trying to be a riajuu. True, I had been the same way and failed horribly but I had sort of embraced the class' role as the quiet, mysterious girl who recommended manga to everybody.

But we weren't in school right now and Nemo didn't have to pretend to be a normie for anyone. She was absentmindedly rocking back and forth on her feet when I grabbed her hand a dragged her over to my TV.

"Kuro~?!"

"Do you play videogames?" I asked as I sat her down and went to look for my usual controller and the one Kii-chan used when she was visiting.

"Eh?! Sometimes."

Sometimes? So all the time.

The fact that I hadn't even asked her to play with me must have seemed so bold to her that she just went along with it. It was a popular fighting game and once we were at the character selection screen, it became clear to me that Nemo was familiar with the game. She immediately locked a character, so did I, and we wordlessly watched the game load as we sat on the floor, illuminated by the screen's bright and static light.

It turned out Nemo was actually more than just familiar with the game. She pulled off several insane combos and was practically kicking my virtual ass by the time Yuri and Mako returned.

As soon as the two girls entered, however, Nemo turned a lot more giggly and acted silly like the controller was yucky to touch or something.

"Oh, you're playing a game?" Mako asked.

"Ah!" Nemo said and spun her head as if she had not noticed them enter. "Kuro wanted me to play this!"

Yuri and Mako observed us play and Nemo turned really bad all of a sudden. She kept dying like she didn't know how to play at all. "Ahaha, wow, I'm really bad at this," she laughed.

"Looks like you were dominating earlier," Mako commentered, referring to the amount of health points each of us had left.

Nemo laughed in a cheerful manner. "Eh? Beginner's luck, I guess!"

I won the entire game shortly after but it didn't really feel like a victory. The pink-haired girl to my left put the controller on the carpet and stretched her body. "Well, that was fun, Kuro! Let's go back to-"

Yuri interrupted her. "I want to play."

Nemo silently handed Yuri the controller. Mako smiled uncomfortably as Yuri got comfortable with the controller and sat down cross legged on my carpet. She had no idea how a controller was supposed to be used and accidently quit to the main menu but I showed her how to select a character. She chose one of the cute animal fighters while I chose my main; a top-tier gunslinger.

The game was over pretty quick. My victory was more or less settled when Yuri jumped off the edge and into her eminent death. I heard Yuri curse under her breath. The game was over but I reset the match and showed her the basics of how to play. Yuri had never really struck me as a gamer so I didn't really understand why she wanted to play with me.

Yuri eventually managed to wipe me off the stage and I lost a life point. I was pretty impressed of how quickly she was learning and congratulated her but Yuri only replied with indifference.

"This game is really not that hard, Nemoto-san."

Nemo only smiled, if not annoyed. Mako had a sort of worried look on her face.

"M-maybe we could do something where all of us can participate and not just two at a time," Mako suggested, mostly directed at Yuri.

The dark haired girl ignored her.

I, however, was reminded that I was supposed to be the generous hostess for the night and that Nemo and Mako were probably bored as hell. And that reminded me...

Where the hell was the delinquent?

"Have any of you seen Yoshida-san?" I asked as I put the controller down.

"Didn't she say she needed some fresh air?" Mako asked, glad to be back in the conversation. "You don't think she went outside in the pajamas, do you?"

Yuri also put her controller down. Despite the indifferent look in her eyes, her voice was oddly aggressive. "She would though. You two wouldn't know this, but Kuroki-san, Yoshida-san and I went out after curfew on the Kyōto trip to buy food - in our nightwear. Isn't that right, Kuroki-san?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah." I only remembered the night too well. Our homeroom teacher Ogino had more or less been guilt tripping Yuri and Yoshida into being friends with me.

"Well," Mako said while she stared at Yuri, "there you have it."

Nemo put her hands in the pockets of her lion kigurumi. "What's she doing outside though? She's been gone for, like, thirty minutes."

She was right. There was nothing to do outside. We had a very small yard and a few trees. Not far from our home was a soccer field where Tomoki used to practice.

"Oh, no," I whispered when I realized where Yoshida was.

It was dark outside but the enormous LED light poles brightened up the soccer field. The grass was wet with dew underneath my shoes and Nemo and Yuri were right behind me, not saying a word to each other.

I saw two figures standing at the end of the field by the training goals. They were obviously chatting and laughing.

"What are you two doing out here?" I asked calmly by the time I arrived. Yup, it was the delinquent and my little brother. Yoshida had been touching his arm but quickly removed it as I arrived.

"We were just talking," Yoshida said.

"I noticed Masaki practicing kicks earlier," Tomoki explained. "She was pretty good."

I nodded. I didn't really have a problem with them talking to each other. I wasn't Komi-something who would freak out just because someone talked to Tomoki. I was a much more relaxed person.

That's when I noticed the beer cans in their hands. "Are you drinking beer?!" If I knew one thing from watching anime, it was that the older sibling was supposed to protect the younger sibling from getting into criminal activities - especially underage drinking.

"It's soda, you idiot," Tomoki said while taking a sip from the bottle.

"Yeah? It's soda? Let me smell it. I bet it's pure rubbing alcohol."

My brother refused. "No."

"Yes." I persisted. I tried to take a hold of his arm.

"No!"

He was standing in a rather awkward position, leaned against the soccer goal while resting his foot on his ball, so I actually managed to overpower him. I pulled his arm so hard it the can went from his grasp and the liquid spilled all over me. It was orange and sticky like soda and more importantly, I was soaked. But little did they know that soda only made my hair prettier and shinier. This was actually a win for me.

My friends stared at me like I was hit by a truck. Even Yuri actually seemed to care.

Meanwhile, Tomoki and I stood in front of each, staring the other down. He seemed really pissed even though I was the one who had soda all over me.

"You better lick this off," I told him.

"Fuck you, Tomoko! You better bring -"

Before he could say anything clever, I turned my attention to the blonde haired brother seductress. "And you, you pervert, he's just a kid! Come to play with some balls? Yeah, I bet! Tomoki-chan's dick is off for everyone until he is married!" I shouted.

"Shut the fuck up!" Tomoki shouted angrily and kneed me in the stomach. I fell to the ground screaming while I rolled around in underserved agony.

"H-how can you do this?! I'm your big sister! You're supposed to be worshipping me!"

While I was rolling on the floor crying, my guests just kind of looked as me. I thought I was going to pass out but Yoshida picked me up in her arms. I squirmed around for a bit - I wasn't a pet you could just pick up - but I eventually surrendered myself to her.

"You're really a moron, Tomoko," she said as she started walking. I couldn't help but to notice how she wasn't trying to rip my head off or punch me into oblivion. Why did my brother have this effect on people when I didn't? Was it because he was the newer Kuroki-sibling and thus the upgraded version? Unfair!

While we walked, I felt Yuri's hand close tightly around my night jersey, like she was afraid I was going to fall down or something. This sort of reminded me of our trip to Fushimi Inari-taisha, where it's just been the three of us and Yoshida had carried me half the way. Only this time, Nemo was walking in front of us in that cheerful skipping way she did - standing out from the rejects like us.

"Why is she here, by the way?" Yoshida asked somewhat quietly.

I wanted to say something but I still felt like my lungs had been kicked into the back of throat so I couldn't answer.

Yuri replied with an indifferent shrug.

As we arrived at the Kuroki residens, a.k.a. my crib, a.k.a. my home, Yoshida walked me to my room and put me on my bed. I curled up into a ball of pain.

I faintly heard them speaking to each other.

"I think you should apologize to Kuroki-san," Yuri said.

"Why? I didn't do anything."

"Well, you were sort of flirting with her little brother."

"Not you too!"

Disappointed I wouldn't get more attention other than being put on a bed, I sat up and cleared my throat. These bitches better not forget I was here.

"Kuroki-san!" Mako said. "Are you ok?"

She sat down on the bed next to me and put her tiny cold hand on my forehead like she was afraid I had a fever or something. Or maybe she just wanted to touch me. Well, Mako had been making hot coco for everyone while the rest of us were out looking for Yoshida, so I guessed, in all honesty, that she had deserved just a little bit of action tonight.

"Uh-huh," I nodded.

"Okay, that's great. Can you please wash your hair? It's really sticky and smells disgustingly sugary."

…

When I was done showering and my hair washed clean from the soda, I hurried back to my room. I hated the idea of them being in there without me, afraid they'd look through my stuff and somehow discover how perverted I was.

It turned out I didn't have to worry though. Yoshida-san was lying on my carpet watching Kowaith II with Mako while Yuri and Nemo were on their phones not talking to each other. For a second, I thought I saw someone outside my window staring at us but as I looked closer, no one was there.

"How was your bath?" Yuri asked as I sat down next to her and Nemo. I top a sip of my hot coco. Delicious!

As a response to Yuri, I sort of threw my still wet hair over my shoulder in what I myself perceived as a gracious move. The two girls just looked at me. "It was alright."

"Ooh, I have an idea!" Nemo exclaimed cheerfully, "why don't you let me do your hair now that it's wet?"

Wow. No one had ever done my hair before. I usually washed it once a week and then kinda just blow dried and brushed it. Nothing more, nothing less. But to have someone else actually touch it in a more intimate and careful way? That would practically be like having sex.

"Oh, fuck yes, please do it to me ~" I whispered, my voice dripping with lust. Nemo and Yuri raised their eyebrows.


	6. BINP: People will fight

Tomoko Kuroki

Nemo picked up a bottle of something from her toiletry bag and sprayed a fruity liquid in my hair. She told me it was called a 'conditioner'. While her hands moved gently over my scalp, I felt as though my brain was melting into a hot chocolatey goo. Seriously, I would have paid her to do this if she had asked for money. All I hoped was that I was the only one she did this to and not anyone else like some unfaithful slut.

While I was sitting at the edge of my bed, Nemo sat right behind me, cross-legged. Yuri was on the carpet doing whatever on her phone. I tried talking to her a few time but she only replied in short, one-worded sentences.

Yuri's withdrawal sort of ruined the great feeling and tingly sensations Nemo's amazing fingers were giving me. I didn't want Yuri to feel as though she was being left out which she probably did. I could all too easily imagine myself at a stranger's home for some lousy, boring party with having no one to talk to.

"H-hey, maybe Nemo can also do your hair later?"

"No," Yuri simply replied. She didn't even look up from her phone.

"Oh, ok… uh. You want me to do it?"

Same answer, same indifference: "No."

Well, ok. Maybe she was just one of those people who didn't like having their hair touched. I'll admit it was pretty frisky. It might have needed a PG 18 filter if my life was ever to be turned into an anime. Like that would ever happen.

However, as I dwelled on it, it occured to me how shitty a person I was for neglecting Yuri like this. The entire sleepover had been more or less hers idea and seeing her sitting alone and out of place with her phone made me, well, sad for her.

Couldn't she just watch Kowarith with Mako and Yoshida or something? Then I wouldn't feel like I was abandoning her. I slowly titled my head towards the TV and watched the movie for a bit. Holy heck, this sucked. Japanese anime was far superior to this Western crap. I couldn't blame Yuri for not getting into it.

Nemo gradually finished brushing my hair and while she blow dried it, I came up with a brilliant idea. When my hair was dry, I turned to the dark haired girl sitting on my floor.

"H-hey, Yuri? W-wanna help style my hair? You can go crazy. I'm sure Nemo's fine with it. R-right?"

Nemo smiled. "...Sure"

Yuri looked at the both of us. I could tell she was thinking about it. I tried to catch her eyes but I felt as if she was ignoring my attempts. But then...

"Ok."

Yes! Yuri got onto her feet and went over to sit next to Nemo who made some space for her. I had told them to go crazy but I had no idea what that really meant. I felt both girls' fingers fiddling around in my twirls at the same time. Nemo had taken the right side while Yuri worked the left. Sort of like a hot, lesbian threesome. Although having two seperate people in your hair at the same time was probably a bad idea, I was just happy I could finally share something with the both of them. Peace at last.

"This isn't working at all," Yuri said from behind me. She trying to put hair ties in my twirls and her voice was annoyed. "You're taking up way too much of Kuroki-san's hair."

"Hm, well, how about you quit ruining what I've already built up?"

"You haven't built anything," Yuri stated blankly.

Although Nemo smiled it was obvious she was fighting not to scream. "That's because you keep ruining it!"

"Maybe if you -"

I interrupted them. "C-could you two stop it, please?"

I hated to raise my voice but I managed to get their attention. Even Mako and Yoshida looked over at us. With all their pulling and fighting, they had actually managed to hurt me quite a bit and I felt sore.

"Sorry," Yuri said.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too," Nemo mumbled.

They both looked kind of ashamed of themselves.

"M-maybe one of you can go first. Then the other? If you want to?"

Yuri crossed her arms, not saying anything. Nemo took a deep breath. "Do you want to go first?"

The dark haired girl didn't respond and for a second I thought she was going quit entirely. Maybe even leave. Then she sighed deeply and returned to my hair.

If the mood was suffering before, it was practically dead now.

Yuri did commit to the task despite of everything. She brushed my hair in small, solid strokes. She carefully separated my hair into two pigtails and adjusted them with hair ties. In the end, it sort of resembled her own appeal. I fingered this was possibly the only hair style she knew how to do but I loved it all the same. I was watching myself in the front facing camera of my phone and even thought to take a selfie but with the recent fighting it seemed like an inappropriate time.

"I really like it, Yuri!"

"Hmm."

I grinned. "Sort of looks like we're twins!"

"Maybe if you were taller and didn't have those massive bags under your eyes."

Ouch. I stared at Yuri for a bit but she was just watching the television. Nemo looked like she had just watched somebody get mauled by a bear.

"Uh, want me to do your hair now?" Nemo asked.

"Y-yes, please," I said, still watching Yuri.

One might have thought that Nemo would give me a hairstyle resembling hers as well, forcing me to pick the one I liked the most, inadvertently choosing which friend I like the most. But this wasn't some lame high school drama and Nemo thankfully understood that as well. Instead she chose to style my hair into a nice ponytail with loose bangs falling over my forehead. It looked pretty anime-ish. I had no idea my hair was capable of doing that!

"T-this is great, Nemoto-san!" I said. I was being careful with my words, trying not to show any more gratitude over this than over Yuri's attempt.

Yuri didn't even look at it.

Maybe that was for the better. Maybe I should let Yuri, if not the both of them, be alone for a little while. I wasn't anywhere near used to these stressful social interactions and I was actually very exhausted. Besides, it was almost 12 pm.

That's when Yoshida turned around and looked at me. "Hey! Looking good, Kuroki!"

Mako followed closely behind. "Oh! You look so different! Did Nemoto-san do that?"

"It's nothing compared to what Katō-san can do," Nemo smiled nervously.

"I think it looks cute!"

Yuri spoke up and everyone's attention turned towards her. "I think it looks like the hairstyle of someone who desperately wants attention from boys."

Nemo finally snapped. "Not something you'd be particularly familiar with, is it, Yuri-san?"

Yuri didn't say anything.

Yoshida must apparently not have understood that the girls had been at each other's throats the entire night as she immediately sided with Yuri.

"Yo, why don't you leave her the fuck alone, you bitch? It's not like anyone asked for your opinion."

"Excuse me?" Nemo asked with a cheerful smile, like Yoshida had just said something funny.

"I mean, what are you even doing here, anyway?" Yoshida hissed. I wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. Mako tried to calm the delinquent down but was, as in this story, largely ignored.

Nemo tilted her head playfully. "Whatever do you mean?"

"This is just like our trip to Mouseland where you wanted to group with us even though no one ever invited you! Shit, don't tell me it is because those two other bimbos you hang out with actually kicked you out for being such a fake smiling bitch."

Nemo's smile was finally cracking. She was desperately grasping for something to say. "I… I..."

"Seriously, why the hell are you here? Yuri, Mako, Kuroki and me; none of us are your fucking friends."

Out of nowhere, I opened my mouth. "She's my friend. She is here because I invited her."

Yoshida stared at me. She was furious. "She -"

"- She stays. If Nemoto-san leaves, you all leave. This is my house."

That silenced everyone. I didn't know where any of this courage was coming from and I definitely didn't know if I had said the right thing. My body was shaking, the hairs on my arms stood up straight, and I breathed heavily like I had just run a freaking marathon. Yoshida looked mad as hell and I saw a dark shadow loom over Yuri's face. I wish one thing led to another because what happened next happened all at once.

Yuri broke the Mexican standoff thing we had going and left through the door. I had no idea if she was going to leave us forever or just momentarily. What the hell had I done? Mako stormed after her.

That left me, Nemo and Yoshida alone. Yoshida's lips were a thin line and I could sense she was seething with anger. Nemo, for once, wasn't smiling, merely staring into the floor. The fluffy purple lion hood she had been wearing the entire night had fallen down and rested on the back of her neck. She was trembling.

Then Yoshida stood up and left as well. What the hell was going on?! How had the mood shifted so suddenly?!

For a long time, neither Nemo or I said anything. Then she looked at me, still trembling. "T-thank you, Kuroki-san. Y-you really shouldn't have done that. Now your friends hate you because of me."

Her voice sounded oddly sincere. I didn't know how but something inside me told me that this was actually her real voice. Not the fake voice actress impression shit of an overly happy highschool girl she usually did. I nodded uncertainty.

"H-hey," I said, putting my closed fist forward, "d-dont sweat it, pal!"

Nemo looked up at me. Then she fist bumped my hand.

That was probably the lamest thing I could have said but I didn't have time to think about that. I needed to find my friends.

In the hall, I ran into Mako. She looked relieved to see me.

"Kuroki-san! There you are. I need your help. It's really bad with Yuri. She is outside and won't talk to me."

"Oh, ok, uh, w-what do you want me to do?"

"Can you talk to her, please? You have a way of connecting with her which I don't."

I really didn't want to talk to Yuri right now. I was afraid she might stab me if I as much as looked at her.

"I-I'll try."

Mako smiled thankfully. "Good! I'll see if I can find Yoshida-san then."

I nodded, hoping she wasn't sulking in my little brother's bedroom.

Dealing with Yuri was going to be difficult. I really liked her, but I never knew what she thought exactly. In a sense, it would be a lot like trying to tame a wild tiger using only a small wooden chair like in those circus movies.

As I carefully tiptoed into the warm summer night's embrace, I found Yuri sitting on front door's entrance stone, vigilantly overlooking the yard. She kept staring into the peaceful night even as I arrived.

I took a deep breath. This was kind of my own fault so I had to own up to it. At the same time, I felt the best cause of action might be to run back and hide under my blanket. Oh well. I was here now so I sort of needed to say something. I couldn't just open the door, give her a look and then close it again like a maniac. I cleared my throat. "Uh, h-hi?"

Yuri didn't respond.

I sat down next to her. Not sure how to proceed, I picked up a straw of grass and numbled it between my fingers before I threw it away. Then I looked at her. "Please tell me what's wrong."

"No."

That wasn't going to make it any easier. I looked at the stars above us. It was a peaceful night.

"I'm not going away until you talk to me."

She shrugged indifferently.

I sighed. This sleepover had gone down hill so fast. I really wasn't much for drama to begin with but now everyone seemed to be mad at me. I picked up another straw of grass.

"This is about Nemoto-san, right? Want me to go get her?"

She wasn't looking at me. Instead she just sat there, resting her head on her knees, her arms wrapped around her legs as if she was cold.

None of us said anything for about five minutes. I didn't mind. Sure, the silence was a bit awkward but considering all the things I had done in my life so far, this was nothing compared to it. In fact, I sort of liked sitting in close silence with her.

Then she spoke. "I thought _I_ was your friend."

"I can be friends with the both of you at the same time."

Yuri groaned.

"I'm not picking Nemoto-san over you. I swear."

"Yes, you are."

"Nemoto-san is my friend, yes… But she's not my _best friend_."

"Don't give me that crap!"

"I mean it."

I let the cool night breeze wash over my face. "You are my closest friend, Yuri," I said truly.

I had never told anyone anything so personal or heartfelt. Never had to confirm my feelings or my friendship to anyone else. If anything, I had thought _I_ would have been the one needing such confirmation from somebody. But here I was, providing it.

"If you're just saying that to make me happy, then-"

"I'm saying it because it's true."

I was pretty much reaching in the dark. However, it wasn't too difficult imagining myself being in Yuri's place.

She sighed.

A thought hit me and I couldn't help my snickering.

"... What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just that I'm sitting out here, pouring my heart out like some crappy teen movie protagonist. If anyone had told me that that would be what the two of _us_ would be spending our friday night, I'd have called bullshit."

Yuri smiled slightly, to my relief.

"Let's go inside. It's kinda humid out here." Yuri said and finally began to stand up. "I can't believe how childishly I've behaved. Please forgive me, Kuroki-san."

"Well, at least you didn't lie about being drunk in Kyoto."

Yuri made some kind of suppressed sound that sounded sort of like a gun being loaded. I realized she was giggling. "I knew that couldn't be true."

"Yeah… I'm sorry I lied."

"Mmm-hmm. By the way..." Yuri looked over her shoulder to see if anybody was listening.

"Yes?"

She looked at me with a deadpan face. "If I was a guy, _you_ would be the one I'd want to do it with most."

I gasped! What?! Was she being lewd with me?! Then she starting laughing and I realized she had been joking. _Yuri_ had been making a joke!?

I didn't have much time to respond as Yuri was already halfway inside. I stood, dumbfounded and watched her.

Yuri hadn't stabbed me. She apparently preferred the killing method of giving me a heatstroke.


	7. BINP: My sleepover will come to an end

Tomoko Kuroki

It turned out Yoshida really was really not that hard to find. Yuri, Mako and I found her looming around in the kitchen, sort of just doing whatever highschool girls did when they went to the kitchen. That's what she said claimed to be doing at least. I knew she was really puffing gas. She was much calmer by now though, probably thanks to the psychedelic effects.

We didn't stay up much longer after that. Mako and Yoshida watched whatever was left of Kowarith II. Yuri even joined them and seemed to enjoy herself.

I spent the rest of the night in my bed, watched anime on my phone with Nemo. We shared the earbuds and she was kinda pressed into me. She smelled really good so I didn't mind at all.

As the shitty movie ended, Mako and Yoshida left to go brush their teeth. This left Nemo, Yuri and I alone. There wasn't the same tension in the room any longer, and so it actually felt quite comfortable.

Just as I thought they had stopped fighting, Nemo and Yuri both insisted on being the one to to the bathroom with me to brush our teeth. I shrugged. What the hell, my bathroom was big enough for three girls. We all went.

Mako and Yoshida were lying in their sleeping bags when we returned, talking. I placed myself in my own bed, Nemo sat next to me and we continued to watch the anime. Yuri placed her head over my legs and not long after, I felt her sleeping peacefully. Then Nemo rested her head on my shoulder, claiming it provided her a better view of my phone's flashing screen.

The way Yuri laid sort of reminded me of how I laid with my head on Katō's lap on the way home from Mouseland. Wait, did that mean I now was kind of the class mom too? I awkwardly put my arm around Nemo's waist. I didn't know if this was appropriate or not but she didn't protest and so I sort of just left it there and forgot about it.

In the end, I didn't have to choose between Yuri or Nemo. I could be friends with the both of them at the same time. Being friends with one of the girls didn't mean I had to push the other away, I realized.

...

I woke up to the feeling of someone blowing cold cold air in my face and picking strands of hair out of my eyes. I opened them.

Nemo was smiling down at me. "You were sleeping, Kuro!"

"Like hell I was!"

I tried to push her off but simultaneously managed to wake up Yuri. She had been using my legs for a pillow the entire night. She looked tired and really pissed off to be woken up this early.

Nemo didn't seem to care one bit. "Kuro, can you help me with something?"

"What?" I asked sleepy. Yuri looked up as well. Her hair looked like a haunted house.

…

By the time Yoshida and Mako made their way into the kitchen, the waffles were almost ready. Yuri scraped the doughy bread things off the waffle machine and put them onto a plate while Nemo set the table and I cleaned up.

"Wait, did the three of you do all of this?" Mako asked in awe as she entered the kitchen.

"Yup!" Nemo beamed and lead Mako towards the table.

Yoshida raised her eyebrow at the pink-haired girl. "You're not mad at us for calling you a fake-ass bitch yesterday?"

"Well, I was, and I was considering not talking to any of you ever again," Nemo smiled through the brutal honesty, "but I guess that, yeah, I had sort of been a bitch to all of you for the past three years, so… Well, let's eat, huh?"

Everyone stared at her for a bit but damn if those waffles didn't smell good. We all sat down at the table..

I began to pour syrup on my first waffle when I felt Yoshida pinch my side.

"These aren't poisoned, are they?" she whispered.

I smirked at her. "Give it a taste and see for yourself."

Yoshida reluctantly picked at the waffle with her fork before she sliced through it. Then she put it in her mouth and chewed it for a bit.

"These are the best fucking waffles I've ever tasted in my life!" she shouted loudly.

We all laughed. Even Yuri.

In the end, it had been a pretty decent sleepover. The best one I had ever attended, in fact. I hadn't lost my virginity, but I had managed to tie my friendships with these four girls even tighter and that was what really mattered to a loner freak like me.

The End.

 _AN: I'll admit that this last chapter was kinda rushed and not a whole lot happened. That's because the conflict of the story was pretty much solved last chapter but I felt needed to end the story completely before I'd put it on the shelf. Thank you all for reading and thanks for the sweet reviews!_


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